Saturday, August 25, 2012

Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on the moon, during the Apollo 11 mission, has died at the age of 82. He stepped on the moon "at 2:56 UTC July 21, 1969, then spoke the famous words 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.'" Farewell Sir, walk among the stars.

I have not set up Facebook, Youtube, or Google Plus connections for this blog, but lo and behold, the Internet has auto-generated one for me. You can visit the HISTORIES OF THINGS TO COME Youtube channel, courtesy of anonymous computer algorithms and cryptic Youtube-Google interfaces, here. The channel contains all the Youtube videos I have discussed in various posts. While convenient, it proves my comment (here) that you do not know how the Web is busy zombifying your identity and content while you are not watching.

While CNN focused on the way the Generation Jones group aged and their hairstyles changed, there are two stories here. One is how the men are changing over time. The other is the fact that they have not changed, in that they have remained friends over time.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Several of my posts deal with how people are using cameras and video to place their identities in time, and are then reconstructing their personal lives' time flow through computers. There are some interesting generational photos appearing on pinterest. Similarly, Dear Photograph (selections below) plays with familial photographic memories of the way places used to be, partly superimposed over new photos of the way the same places look now (Hat tip for both references: main post by JenX67). Dear Photograph is so popular that it is now a book.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Before, During and After: Ecce Homo by 19th-century painter Elías García Martínez on the walls of the church of Santuario de Misericordia. Image Source: Telegraph.

Do you ever get the feeling that the new Millennium is lost in translation? That the 21st century is a period when things which used to mean something now make no sense? Ecce Homo is a phrase from the bible attributed to Pontius Pilate when he presented a whipped Christ to the crowds. The phrase means, 'Behold the man.' The above 19th century Spanish painting of a tormented Christ by that name was destroyed by a well-meaning self-appointed amateur restorer. From the Telegraph:

Three separate photographs of Ecce Homo by painter Elias Garcia Martinez show extensive damage caused by an elderly woman who decided the masterpiece needed a little refurbishment.

But in a time of austerity, rather than calling in a professional to complete the job, the unnamed woman attempted to restore the mural herself – at a devastating cost.

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The result was a botched repair where the intricate brush strokes of Martinez were replaced with a haphazard splattering of the octogenarian's paint. Years of carefully calculated depth of expression simply washed out by copious amounts of red and brown.

The damage was discovered after the 19th century painter's granddaughter made a donation to the Centro de Estudios Borjanos in Borja, Spain, a couple of weeks ago. The Centro holds an archive of regional religious paintings with regularly-updated photographs.

After receiving the donation, employees at the Centro went to check on the mural at the church of Santuario de Misericodia only to find it drastically altered."

Someone on the comments board wrote: "Not bad for an amateur. He looks cuddly." Another person commented: "Not bad for a first attempt. This woman should be let loose in the national gallery. In a way it's an analogy and the woman can be compared with the people running the EU and the country and banks too. She deserves a big bonus. " (Hat tip: Gerry Duggan.)

Monday, August 20, 2012

The Archaeology News Networkreports that important archaeological sites have been destroyed in fighting between rebels and government forces in Syria (see also: The Independent). The Homs museum, and other government museums, have been looted.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

XKCDjust did a cartoon on when we will forget events from the 1970s to the present. But 2036 for 9/11 - really? Direct experience is not the only determinant of how events stay alive in popular consciousness and become part of history. It is a good thing that collective memory is built on more than personal memory. Some of the things on this list will still be current and relevant in 2047. Their enduring legacies will reflect the priorities of the present as meshed with events of the future.